Dr. Lyda Hok, Center Director of CE SAIN, gave a warm welcome all institutions including rector of the Royal University of Agriculture and other relevant stakeholders for putting effort to make this partnership happen. He believed that this collaborative among three institutions have always offer an opportunity to extend the educational and corporation between countries including Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and the United States.

The CE SAIN that housed under the Royal University of Agriculture funded by USAID through Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification, is to serve as an entity to foster private sector innovation and public sector through agricultural research, educational training and capacity building. This new partnership agreement signing between CE SAIN, USM, and SEARCA means to improve the capacity building on aquaculture especially on human resource development in Cambodia.

“I believe this partnership will allow a good approach that we together build capacity on graduate study, strengthen of education of our objective in term of institutional and human resources development,” Dr. Hok said. With a strong support from Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab (SIIL) at the Kansas State University, Fish Innovation Lab at the Mississippi State University, and World Fish Malaysia, this partnership is happened.

It is noted that upon signing the MoA today, the three institution entities will cooperate and support the scholarship student as USM will be the host university. CE SAIN would love to see the continuation of join effort for a long term and strategic partnership between SEARCA and USM as well as to extend more partnership with other possible institutions in the short future. “I am looking forward to watching the relationship to grow between three institutions and build a future of more Cambodian researchers and leaders,” Dr. Hok said.

Director of SEARCA, Dr. Glenn B. Gregorio showed the appreciation to all project partners and participants from different stakeholders in making this event happen. He mentioned that the current SEARCA five-year strategic plan is moving and accelerating transformation through agricultural innovation along with partnership within the region and beyond.

Director of Fish Innovation Lab, Dr. Mark Lawrence, expressed a gratitude to the Kansas State University in supporting the agricultural development through CE SAIN Bighead Catfish Project. He highlighted the important of the project in Cambodia to support a better livelihood and to improve the nutrition. He also mentioned that the partnership program between the United States and SEARCA is going to be elevated more programs and capacity development, students training to develop the agricultural technology which benefit the fish innovation lab at CE SAIN/RUA.

The three respective institutions have committed to join an effort by signing the MoA and ready to kick off the project implementation from now on for the sake of successful collaboration.